The pharmaceutical company Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co announced the withdrawal of its supplements from the market. Today, representatives from the Japanese Ministry of Health arrived at the company’s Osaka plant to continue their investigation at the production site. At the same time, as Rossiyskaya Gazeta found out, the products of the Japanese company can also be purchased in Russia; It is easy to order them on specialized websites on the Internet.
Of the entire line of “healthy” supplements, we are talking only about the Benikoji Choleste Help medicine based on fermented red rice. The first public statement about serious complications after taking this dietary supplement was not made until March 22, although the first cases of poisoning were recorded in January, reports the Associated Press.
According to the manufacturer, some people have developed kidney problems after taking the medication. However, the exact cause of the mass poisonings is still unclear: research is ongoing.
At the same time as Benikoji Choleste Help, dozens of other products containing fermented rice were recalled from the Japanese market, including miso paste, crackers and vinegar dressing. Japan’s Ministry of Health has published a list of all recalled products on its official website, including those that use Benikoji as a food coloring.
The ministry warns that the number of illnesses and deaths could increase: supplements could be purchased in pharmacies without a prescription. In addition, tourists could also purchase them.
It is worth noting that products with fermented red rice have existed on the market for many years, many large manufacturers of dietary supplements have these additives in their lines. Therefore, it is too early to draw conclusions about the causes of mass poisoning: whether it was the active substance itself, other components of the dietary supplement, or a violation of the technological process.
What are fermented red rice supplements?
“Fermented red rice contains a naturally occurring statin: lovastatin. It is a traditional Chinese medicine. It reduces cholesterol by reducing its production by liver cells. It reduces inflammatory processes in the liver. All side effects are similar to those of synthetic statins,” explains the cardiologist. Maria Tchaikovskaya.
Points out that the requirements for production technology of dietary supplements are lower than those of medicines; final control of the product may not be carried out and therefore there are cases when the declared concentration of the active substance differs from the actual one. “There was a special study on dietary supplements with fermented red rice, where the actual concentrations of lovastatin were tens of times lower than the declared ones,” notes Dr. Tchaikovskaya.
“Research on the effectiveness of dietary supplements is often carried out on a small sample (no more than 100 people) and according to less strict criteria. For example: some of the participants take medications along with dietary supplements, others do not “This greatly influences the result, but is not taken into account, so the evidence-based database of dietary supplements should always be considered critically,” the expert emphasizes.
In turn, Rospotrebnadzor officially announced that products with red yeast enzymes from Japan do not have a certificate of conformity for sale in Russia.
“This product is not registered as a dietary supplement in Russia and its sale is a violation of the requirements of the laws constituting the law of the Eurasian Economic Union,” the department said in a statement.
RG conducted a search: we could not find the scandalous additive in Russian pharmacies. But it is easy to buy Kobayashi pharmaceutical products in the online store. In particular, a product to restore potency in men costs 12 thousand rubles per package.
“Taking into account that dietary supplements can be sold through online markets and stores, citizens should check the availability of a certificate of state registration of products confirming their safety,” Rospotrebnadzor advises.
You can check information on state registration of products on a specialized search server, as well as on the official website of Rospotrebnadzor.
In Russia, mandatory labeling of dietary supplements has been introduced since September 1, 2023: manufacturers, importers, distributors, wholesale and retail trade organizations, online trading platforms and markets, as well as pharmacies/pharmacy chains distributing supplements Dietetics must be registered in the state system for tracking information and billing of goods (GIS MT) and transmit data on the goods sold. At the same time, unlabeled waste may still remain in circulation if the dietary supplement was produced or imported into the country before October 1, 2023, Rospotrebnadzor notes.
“If you purchase unlabeled dietary supplements that are not labeled in the Data Matrix code format, we recommend that you contact the department for inspection,” Rospotrebnadzor said.
